The Will of Fire
by MadHatter5959
Summary: Betrayed by his own military, Commander Shepard, along with Davin Kecker and the rest of the crew, escape to Rannoch to try to buy time, as well as get the Quarians on their side. 10 years into the future, Davin tells the entire story to a young soldier named Jessy Ride. What happened to Commander Shepard and his crew? Davin will explain all, but not everything is as it seems.


Chapter 1: Interview With a Criminal

"Stop." The security guard said as Jessy Ride approached the solid metal door. She stopped two feet in front of him, frowning and crossing her arms. "What is your business with our lovely prison today?" The security guard asked, seeing that she was a woman and changing his tune. She wasn't flattered though, and simply opened her omni-tool, the holographic screen popping up. She pressed a few keys and swiped it over to him, a little bell sound following it. He opened it up and looked at it. Seeing that he would get no where, he opened the door and sent her on her way.

Jessy walked down the hallway, her frown frozen to her face as she arrived at the main office and waited for the camera to catch her face. After a few seconds there was a beep and the doors opened with a hissing sound. She entered and saw two guards there, as well as the warden of the jail. The warden smiled, showing his perfect white teeth to the young lady. "And what might you be here for darling?"

Jessy repeated her actions earlier, sending him the information. He looked it over and closed his omni-tools screen, laughing.

"They sent you here for that? A waste of time; the man isn't going to talk. Hasn't in almost ten years; what makes you think he will now?"

"I don't think he will." She said, speaking at last, her voice echoing her attitude at the moment. "But my orders were to try, so try I will."

The warden shook his head but walked to the door leading into the jail, gesturing for her to follow. As they walked through the door the Warden put his finger to his ear piece and said, "Hey, take the freak from his cell and stick him in interrogation room one. He has a visitor."

They walked past a lot of cells on the way there; luckily this was well into the future, and the cells were made of metal like everything else, making seeing the prisoners impossible. She took a deep breath as the Warden stopped at a door, opening it and letting her walk in first. The room wasn't too big; had enough room for a table and a few chairs. Sitting in one of these chairs was the man she was sent to see, and all of the rumors she had heard about him turned out to be true.

Sitting down, he was a sight to see. He had his bionic legs sticking out from under the table, too large to sit properly. His right arm was covered in scars, while his left she had to do a double take to make sure she was seeing it right; his left arm was a prosthetic Quarian arm, bigger than his right with only three fingers. It looked old and beat up, and needed to be cleaned. She looked up at his face and forced herself not to grimace; the right side of his face was taken up by a huge scar, running from his lip all the way up to his ear, making his face a permanent half smile and distracting her from his blue eye. But it was the other side that threw her off the most; his left eye wasn't human, as it glowed brightly. _He has a Quarian left eye. How is that possible?_

The Warden walked in, gestured to the man, and said, "Young lady, I give you our national freak show, Davin Kecker."

Davin smiled when the Warden said this. "Nice to know someone remembers my name." With the scar, his smile looked like a crocodiles smile, and she could see why he was called a freak. She sat down, took a deep breath, and looked him dead in his different eyes, all business. "Davin Kecker, my name is Jessy Ride. My goal today is-"

"Ride huh? I've heard about you; they sent a young big shot this time." Davin said, interrupting her and laughing. "I know who you are. And there is only one reason for you to be here; you want to know about my time with Commander John Shepard after our own military betrayed us and we went rogue."

She bit her lip, mad that he interrupted her but glad she didn't have to explain herself. She sighed, trying her best to relax. "That is correct, but mostly I am here to just talk. You've been in here for a long time, and you must want to talk to someone."

He grinned again. "I've been in here 9 years, 4 months, 2 weeks, 16 days, 7 minutes and 33 seconds as of right now. So ya, you can say I've been here a long time." He looked her dead in the eyes, his whole demeanor changing and throwing her off. It also didn't help that his eyes distracted her.

"You just want to talk huh? You mean that?" He said, and he sounded so different that at first she didn't know what to say; she just gaped at him for a few seconds. She regained her composure and nodded. Davin closed his eyes, looking deep in thought. After a few minutes of this, just as she was about to give up, his eyes opened suddenly, his grin returning. "Sure, I'll tell you."

She felt the Warden almost fall in surprise at these words. "What? You will?"

Davin turned to the Warden, still grinning. "Of course. I'm a man of my word. Just like I said I'd never tell you, I will tell her. I will tell her everything, the true story. It's the least I can do for Shepard."

He turned back to her. "But only you get to hear it; everyone else needs to leave."

"Absolutely n-"The Warden again, going red at the face, but Jessy held up a hand, cutting him off. She looked at the Warden and said, "Grant his request. Leave."

The Warden looked like he was about to argue, but wised up and left with the other security guard, grumbling to himself as the door shut behind him. The instant the Warden was gone Davin laughed, stretching out and getting into a comfortable position. "Much better. Judging by your face, this didn't go as you expected it too."

She shook her head, her foul mood slowly disappearing. "No, not really. I expected you to say no as you always do." She didn't say anything for a moment, feeling nervous without knowing why. "Why did you decide to tell me?"

Davin looked up at the ceiling, looking deep in thought again. "Mostly it's because you remind me of myself when I was younger. Also, you weren't a part of the military back then, and you will be easier to talk to then some admiral with a stick up his ass thinking he already knows what happened." Then he smiled, and this one reached his eyes. "Plus I haven't seen or talked to a woman in years. I'd be stupid to pass this up."

She finally smiled a bit, shaking her head and not believing that last part at all. "Well, as I said, I'm here to talk, so don't be surprised if I cut in to ask a question for make a comment."

"Wouldn't be a conversation else wise." Davin said, scratching where his left arm ended, just below his shoulder. She nodded. "Alright then, the floor is yours."

Davin grinned. "Been too long since anything was mine. Alright, let's start off after we killed Ultimate…."

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"We will be arriving at Rannoch shortly." Edi said over the intercom. Davin could see Tali beaming, finally able to see her home planet again, and he smiled slightly to himself, wishing that Vara could have been here for this. She might not have been all about the Geth like most Quarians were, but that didn't mean she didn't want to see her home planet. _One day I will bring you here and bury you on your home planet. That should set your spirit at ease._

"About time." Garrus said, yawning. Everyone was doing their best to be happy and pretend that an entire government wasn't trying to catch them at the moment. Davin stood up, frowning at his left arm. It should hurt, but he barely felt anything instead, and that was somehow worse. He would be almost useless with one arm, and it wasn't like they could go to Earth and get him a prosthetic arm. He looked at the rest of them, glad at least that everyone lived through their last battle. He expected at least one person to die.

"Davin." A voice said from behind him. He turned and banged his arm against the wall, hissing as he finally felt pain, and a lot off it.

"Are you alright? Sorry." The voice said again, and he looked up to see it was Miranda that spoke, giving him an apologetic smile. He shook his head. "I'm fine. Something you need Miranda?"

She smiled. She was pretty, with long brown hair and blue eyes. But when he looked at her all he could see is that she was a Cerberus operative, and only left because of Shepard. A small part of him hated her guts, though he would never say so out loud. There was no reason to hate someone who had no part in his wife's death, but it was impossible not to feel anger towards anyone that worked with Cerberus.

"I just wanted to check up on you. Besides Commander Shepard, you seem to have been hit the hardest by everything that has happened. How are you holding up?"

He blinked, surprised that she even cared. "Well, besides the fact that I can't feel anything besides pain in my left arm, I'm just dandy."

Her smile faltered a bit. "I'm sorry about your arm."

"No reason to be sorry; you didn't do it. Just hard to be happy at the moment." He sighed, trying to rein in his feelings a bit. "At least I'll be able to see my mother and father in law."

She blinked at first, and then laughed. "I forgot that you married a Quarian. Her parents still talk to you?"

Now he smiled. "Of course. After she passed, they were the only ones who understood my pain. We've actually gotten very close over time, and I see them as the Mother and Father I never had."

"Will they be waiting for us when we get there?" Tali said, laying a hand on his good shoulder. He noticed that Miranda gave Tali a look, but shrugged it off as women stuff. "Yup, at least they said they would. Although they won't be alone; it's thanks to Shepard that they got Rannoch back. Everyone is going to be there."

"Well, at least there is a place that doesn't hate us." Garrus said, chuckling to himself. Davin grinned. "If they love us now, wait until they see Tali."

Tali actually gasped at this. "I totally forgot! Do you have enough of it for anyone else?"

Davin shook his head, seeing her smile falter. "No, not at the moment. But, I can make a lot with what I have, and I know the coordinates of the planet they were discovered; its pretty close by. I'll go there once I've used up what I have to get more, until every Quarian has a strong immune system. Once they do, it should get passed along in the genes, but only time will tell."

Tali squeezed his shoulder. "This isn't a small thing Davin. With the Geth gone, our weak immune systems are the only thing holding us back as a species. You are literally going to deliver the answer to our final problem. On behalf of the entire Quarian species, I thank you."

He shook his head. "It's not me who discovered it, or researched it. It was Vara, and all of the credit will go to her. I'm just the middle man, since she can't be here to do it herself."

"Would you mind showing me this research if you have the time?" Miranda said, making both him and Tali look at her. "It sounds interesting, and I've always been a curious person."

The first answer that popped into his mind was a simple one. _Hell NO!_ But he stopped himself from saying that; his old anger was beginning to cloud his vision, and he didn't tolerate any weakness. He looked up pretending to be deep in thought, and then looked at her. "We will see; I'm very protective of it. People have literally died for this, and I'm not eager to add anyone to that list besides myself. But if everything goes well when we reach Rannoch, and I have to make more, then you can join me and see how I make it first hand."

She smiled, although it probably wasn't the exact answer she was looking for. "Thank you Davin. I know how much it means to you, and-"

She got cut off by his omni-tool beeping loudly. Curious, he opened it up to see it was a video call from Vara's parents. He raised an eyebrow and answered, seeing his father-in-laws face pop up. "Well hey there pops. What is it? We just got done talking about an hour ago?"

Zaem'Yara Vas Haareh grunted. With his mask on, Davin couldn't see his expression, but he guessed it wasn't a happy one. "We did, but I informed the Admirals and they quickly put a stop to it. They want Tali in her suit and they want everyone to see them the instant you land."

Davin frowned. "What? Why this all of a sudden?"

"They fear that, without enough of it for everyone to receive a dose, that their will be problems. They want to keep it a secret for the most part, and plan to give it to the higher ups first in any case."

Davin felt his anger flicker, but Tali beat him to it. "Those selfish Bosh'tets. This isn't about who is in a higher position; this is about our entire race. As admirals, they are supposed to put the people first, not the other way around."

Zaem'Yara sighed, and Davin could sense his frustration in it. "Trust me, I told them this already. As always, they are not very good at listening to anyone besides themselves."

"Well they will listen to me." Shepard's voice came from behind them. They turned to see their Commander, dressed in full combat armor and grinning. He walked over and they all scooted over to let him join them. Zaem'Yara's face would have lit up if it wasn't for his mask.

"Commander Shepard, it is an honor to even speak to you. They would be complete fools not to listen to what you have to say."

"They would be, and I have a lot to say." Shepard said, fitting his role as Commander perfectly. "Tell them they will get to talk to me all they want, but if Tali doesn't want to wear her suit, she doesn't have to and I won't force her to. Davin will come with me to explain that he knows where to get more Varathin, and everyone will get it equally."

Zaem'Yara saluted, making Davin laugh. "I have the cure for his entire species and he doesn't treat me like that."

"Of course not; you are my son. You don't get any special treatment. I will tell them right away. See you when you land." With that he left, leaving Davin speechless while everyone else talked to Shepard. _Son. Has a certain ring to it that I'm not used too_

"You ready to see your wife's home planet?" Shepard said, walking over to him. Davin smiled slightly.

"Of Course."

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"So, you were escaping your military to the planet of the Quarians, hoping to take refuge, and Commander Shepard was going to tell them what they were going to do on their own planet?" Jessy asked, pulling Davin from his thoughts. He blinked, having been totally absorbed in his trip down memory lane, and didn't respond right away.

"Yes, that's how Commander Shepard was; when he spoke, people listened. It didn't matter what race or age, he was Commander Shepard, the savior of the galaxy. His words carried more weight than anyone's."

She nodded. "He sounds a little reckless."

"A little? The man was always reckless; without taking risks, there are no rewards." Davin replied, grinning. "He wasn't scared of anything or anyone. There's a reason I went under his command and not the other way around. He just had this…aura around him that drew you in, made you trust him with your life."

Jessy looked like she was deep in thought. Maybe she was trying to imagine it; maybe not. It didn't matter to him. His face started to ache, and he gently rubbed his scar; he stopped being self-conscious about it years ago. "Gonna rain soon."

She blinked, being pulled from her thoughts. "It is? What makes you think so?"

"Just a hunch." He said, putting both of his hands on the table and sighing.

"Do you want to take a break?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He chuckled slightly; this girl reminded him of himself too much. It was like he had a long lost sister, although that would be impossible; not only was his mother dead, he was a pale as a ghost, while she had a darker tint to her skin. He couldn't guess what nationality she was, but he didn't care much; when you have alien tech for limbs, nationality doesn't mean vey much anymore.

"No, I'm fine. Been a long time since I talked this much."

She nodded, smiling slightly; better than the permanent frown she had when she entered the room. "Alright, then continue whenever you're ready."

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"Ten minutes until we arrive." Joker said over the intercom. Davin paced in his room, surprised at himself for being nervous. He was not only going to see his wife's home planet for the first time, he was going to have to explain Varathin to a bunch of stuck-ups that had always ignored Vara whenever she tried to get them to listen. _At least having Commander Shepard on my side will make things easier._

"Feeling nervous?" A voice said from his door, almost making him jump. He turned to see Garrus leaning against the door, arms crossed, looking like he was about to sell Davin drugs. He looked at where Garrus took a rocket to the face and thought; _I might have metal legs and a useless arm, but at least my face hasn't been messed up yet._

Karma was a bitch sometimes.

"Just a little. The admirals are known for being difficult to convince, and I have to convince them of something that my late wife tried multiple times to do, and honestly she was smarter than me."

"Yes, but not only do you have Commander Shepard backing you, you have Tali as proof that it works. My worry is convincing them that you can get more."

Davin stopped, his eyes wide. "Shit, I totally forgot about that. They will want it for themselves first, and make everyone else wait and suffer." Thinking about this made him angry, and he almost punched the wall. Then he looked at his left arm, and decided to try and keep his remaining arm intact.

"They will. And if I know Quarians as well as I think, then they are going to want to send people with you when you go to this planet, so they know exactly where it is. If they do-"

"Then they will just collect it themselves, and have no need for me as middle man is what you think, right?" Davin said, surprising Garrus. He chuckled. "Normally you would be right. But the crystal, in its natural state, is not only less effective than what I have made, but it also has a strong effect on the body. I have not only gotten rid of this effect, but I've made it twice as strong; one dose is all a Quarian would need now."

Garrus smiled. "I see, and it would be much more convenient to have this faster medicine with no side effects. You're smarter than you think Davin."

"I never thought I wasn't smart; my wife was just smarter." He replied, smiling. "Thanks for the talk Garrus. I needed it. But now I think I'll get ready; need to polish my legs." Garrus chuckled as he left the room, the door shutting behind him. Davin sat down and was about to start on his legs when the door opened again and this time it was Tali.

"Davin, I hope you're ready to see Rannoch; it's beautiful." She said, beaming. He pointed at his legs. "I will be when I clean these."

She looked at his metal legs. "This is human tech huh. Mind if I take a look?"

He was thrown off by the question, and nodded. She knelt down and started analyzing his legs, checking the wires and such. It was a little uncomfortable for him; he had never had his legs checked by anyone but Vara.

"How long has it been since you really maintained these?" Tali said, making a disgusted face. "It looks like they haven't been cleaned in years."

Davin looked away, scratching his head. "Well…ya, it's been awhile."

"Why?" She asked, looking at him now. "You don't know how to clean them?"

"No, I do." He said, blushing slightly. "But…Vara always did it, and she always did a better job than me anyway. I…I don't know, I guess it just isn't the same when I clean them."

He looked back at her and was surprised to see she looked sad. "I'm sorry Davin. Life is beyond unfair." Then her face grew determined. "Well, today I'll clean them. But you need to start keeping up on it. Isn't that what she would want?"

He opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out. He realized that she was completely right; Vara would want him to keep up maintenance on his legs. He simply nodded and Tali got to work. _At least my legs will be shiny for her parents this time._

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"It is my pleasure to welcome Commander Shepard and his crew to our beloved planet Rannoch!" Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh said, and the crowd of Quarians went wild, cheering so loudly Davin thought his eardrums would explode. Commander Shepard smiled, waving at the crowd with Tali at his left side, Davin at his right. _Better him than me. I don't need all this attention myself._

"Thank you for letting me even witness your beautiful planet." Shepard said, saying exactly what they wanted to hear. Davin looked around, absorbing the sight; Rannoch wasn't too different from Earth. It was more arid, and had less water throughout, making most of the planet a desert while most of Earth is water. But it was still beautiful, with tall cliffs and mountains, as well as animals and plants he had never seen before. _Your planet is beautiful Vara. Only one thing left to do._

"And I also welcome Tali'Zorah back home." The admiral said, all eyes going to Tali, who visibly blushed. "Is this the results of what you call 'Varathin'? How are you feeling?"

Tali took a deep breath and slowly let it out, smiling. "I have not worn my suit for weeks now, yet I have not once gotten sick in the slightest. Davin checks my blood every morning, and every morning he finds nothing. I am completely healthy."

The entire crowd cheered again, gawking at Tali. Davin even heard a few whistles. _Can't blame them. One of them is free of the trap they call a suit. They all deserve to have the same._

Finally, the Admiral turned to Davin. "So you are Davin Kecker, the one who brings this 'cure' to us."

Davin stepped forward, smiling. "Yes, but it wasn't me who discovered it. It was Vara'vas White Hawk who did. I only delivered what she had already made." He almost said Vara'vas Kecker, but he remembered that Quarians last names went by their ship, which is why Tali's name is Tali'Zorah vas Normandy.

Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema scoffed. "I remember her. She was the one that told us her research was more important than our war on the Geth."

Davin felt his anger flicker again, wanting to bash the Admirals mask in with his good hand. But Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay cut in. "I remember her as well. A brilliant mind for one so young. I am sorry for your loss."

He felt his anger trickle away as he nodded, smiling. Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh continued. "So you have not only tested it, but you have results that Varathin works to improve out Immune systems. This is the best news I have heard since we freed Rannoch. We must discuss this privately as soon as possible. If you three would follow me." With that all of the Admirals turned and began walking, followed by Davin, Shepard, and Tali.

As they were walking Davin got tackled by a small Quarian, nearly knocking him down, making him laugh. "Naela, don't squeeze so hard! You'll kill me."

Naela'Vas Haareh stepped back, putting her hand son her hips. "Didn't I tell you to just call me mom by now? The way you say my name makes me feel old Davin. And what happened to your arm?" Davin laughed, hugging her again and telling her they would talk about it later. He looked up to see Zaem'Yara catch up to his energetic wife. Davin walked forward and hugged him as well, stepping back and looking at his father-in-law. He never thought that they would get along, but after Vara's death they both blamed themselves, and it somehow made them closer.

"The Admirals weren't too tough on you were they?" Zaem'Yara said, most likely grinning behind his mask. Davin grinned back, shaking his head. "Not yet, but now we're going to speak with them privately."

"Not without us you are not." Naela said, and once she said it both Davin and Zaem'Yara knew there was no point in arguing. Davin turned around toward Shepard and Tali. "Allow me to introduce my mother and father in law, Zaem'Yara and Naela vas Haareh.

Naela instantly went to Tali, telling her how beautiful and lucky she was, while Zaem'Yara Saluted Shepard, who saluted back. "To personally meet Commander Shepard, the one who gave us our planet back…I can't find the words to say."

Shepard smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then listen; this cure is real, and the sooner we can start treating your people, the better. But I need all the help I can get to convince the Admirals.

Zaem'Yara stood up straight. "Then you've come to the right person. This is everything my daughter lived and died for, and I will be damned if I let anyone try to control it for themselves, or not let everyone receive it."

Shepard nodded and looked at Davin. "Are you ready?"

"Please, I was ready yesterday." Davin said, and they continued following the Admirals, more hopeful than they had been in awhile.


End file.
